Qwest Foundation is Wild about Denver Zoo's Conservation Mission

September 15, 2008

Denver, Sept. 16, 2008 – The Qwest Foundation today announced a $10,000 grant to the Denver Zoological Foundation to teach pre-K through 12th-grade students about conservation education. The conservation outreach programs take the zoo to schools and community centers, as well as after-school program sites throughout the Denver metro area.

"We are so honored to accept this grant in support of Denver Zoo's Outreach Program,” said Denver Zoo Outreach Manager Matt Herbert. “These dollars will help us continue to bring educational programs to classrooms and community centers throughout the state and help teach people how they can support creatures all over the world with their actions here."

The Denver Zoo offers a variety of outreach programs that fall into two categories: General Outreach and Community Leadership. General Outreach involves hands-on activities that are age- and grade-appropriate, curriculum-based lessons, and close encounters with live animals. Community Leadership, which is an environmental-service learning program for elementary school students, helps put learning into action by inspiring school and community improvement by planting wildlife-friendly gardens, monitoring urban water quality, initiating school-wide recycling programs or building homes for bats and birds.

“The Denver Zoo’s outreach and community programs are tremendous,” said Chuck Ward, Qwest president for Colorado. “The mix of programs provides a broad range of opportunities using innovative ways to get educated about wildlife.”

The primary goal of the Denver Zoo’s education outreach programming is to inspire a sense of wonder for nature and an appreciation for the interconnectedness of humans, wildlife and habitat. An important objective is for participants to acquire skills and self-concepts to become environmental stewards of a sustainable world.

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About the Qwest Foundation

The Qwest Foundation's core principle is that investing in people and communities provides lasting value for the future. The Qwest Foundation awards grants to community-based programs that generate high-impact and measurable results, focusing on pre-K through grade 12 education.

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